Good eats in Salzburg, Austria
Cafés, Restaurants & Curry Sausages
I begin this section by making a general statement that will always apply in my opinion regarding customary cuisine in Austria: “It’s difficult to find a bad meal.” People often ask, “Where’s a good place to eat?” My answer sounds as if I’m shrugging them off: “Anywhere traditional.” With that said, below are a few appetizing places to kick-start your gastronomic tour of Salzburg. (Vegetarians, give smilin’ Suresh a try at Spicy Spices.)
But first, here’s a short description of Salzburger Nockerl (pictured, courtesy of the ©Salzburg Tourism). Salzburger what? You’ll see this name on the menus of the finer, traditional-style restaurants around town. It refers to a classic local dessert; a soufflé consisting of whipped egg whites and yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel, vanilla, milk and butter beat into stiff mountain-like peaks served hot out-of-the-oven. Nockerl is airy yet filling, enough for three people, thus order one to share. And since it is prepared upon your request, never order one if you’re in a hurry! It’s not uncommon to wait 30 min for your specially made, sweet tasting meringue to arrive at your table.
And lastly, if you’re traveling in Salzburgland (or most anywhere in Germany) mid-April thru May, you’ll be happy to know it’s Spargelzeit, or “asparagus season.” And like most resident kitchens, the majority of restaurants celebrate this spring time of year by complementing their dishes with the in-season specialty: white asparagus, harvested in a field near you as Spargel. I say “white” because these medium-length stalks of asparagus are pulled out of the ground (by hand) before reaching sunlight and turning green, the color we most associate with asparagus. Along your journey, you’ve likely seen Spargel for sale in bunches at markets and roadside stands. Spargel is typically boiled and served with any manner of sauces or seasonings to time-honored palate-pleasing perfection. So, if it’s Spargelzeit, ask your waiter for a sampling of the succulent spear-shaped vegetable.
St. Peter’s Stiftskeller, (12-26€ main dish, daily 10:30-24:00, Sun from 10:00, tel. 0662/841-2680, www.haslauer.at, all major CCs accepted, English menu available, GPS: N47 47.832 E13 02.644). Located on the grounds of St. Peter’s monastery and administered by the church, this sizeable 1,200-year-old restaurant with its various vaulted rooms undoubtedly needs to be mentioned first since it has been in business for ages, literally. The court scribe Alcuin first recorded the Stiftskeller, or monastic cellar, into the history books during a visit by Emperor Charlemagne in the year 803 A.D.; thus it is regarded as Central Europe’s oldest restaurant! Elevated prices are manageable for a one-off and the food is appetizing. Stop in for a bite to eat, even if it’s only for a soup or dessert (like the Salzburger Nockerl with raspberry sauce, a Stiftskeller specialty). Consider spending an evening here listening to Mozart over dinner.
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Stiegl Keller, (9-17€ main dish, May-Sept daily 11:30-14:00 & 18:00-22:00, closed Oct-April, tel. 0662/842-681, www.imlauer.com, CC: VC, MC). Plastered all over town you’ve probably seen the word “Stiegl,” the name of Salzburg’s beer and brewery, established in 1492. In 1820, the brewery expanded its revenue base by investing in the Stiegl Keller, a beloved restaurant and beer garden with an old-world atmosphere nestled above the rooftops of Salzburg (built into fortress hill at Festungsgasse 10, just up from the cable railway). After a short but steep hike up the cobbles and a broad stone stairway, the opportunity is yours to enjoy a traditional Austrian meal and a thirst-quenching Stiegl beer while taking in the precious views. Arrive before sunset and watch the Old Town transcend from the sun’s golden rays reflecting off church steeples to the mesmeric twinkling of nocturnal lights.
Imbisse, (daily 10:00-17:00, summer till 20:00). Located at Festungsgasse 2, meters from the abovementioned Stiegl Keller, this casual eatery run by Helmet affords its guests reasonable prices, a picture menu, and an ivy-swathed patio-garden best on warm days. As you stroll up cobbled Festungsgasse toward the fortress, look for Helmet’s chalk-written sign advertising his lunch special: soup, schnitzel and potatoes (Kartoffel) for 7.90€.
Gasthaus zum Wilden Mann, (main dish from 9€, Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00 but kitchen till 21:00, tel. 0662/841-787, cash only—no CCs accepted). Secreted in a pedestrian passage off Getreidegasse, this rustic inn grows from lively locals hungry for something suggestive of their mother’s kitchen. Patrons share wooden tables while lederhosen-clad Robert (pictured) and dirndl-donning Martina hustle delicious Austrian meals in ample portions from 9€. Popular choices are the beef stew with dumpling (Gulasch mit Knödel 9.80€), and the farmers’ favorite dish (called Bauernschmaus 11.50€) containing roast pork, ham, sausage, dumplings, potatoes and sauerkraut. For dessert, try the rolled pancakes with nuts and chocolate sauce and whipped cream (Schokonuss Palatschinken 5.90€) or the apple strudel with vanilla sauce (4.50€). To get there, when facing Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse, go right to No. 22 (right). Proceed through the archway and down to Wilden Mann (left). Or, from Griesgasse (i.e. bus transportation hub at Hanuschplatz), enter the passage via the archway at No. 17.
Gasthof Auerhahn, (2-course meal and a drink 25-40€, open Wed thru Sat for lunch 11:30-13:30 and dinner 18:00-21:30, closed Sun-Mon but Aug only Mon, tel. 0662/451-052, all major CCs accepted, free Wi-Fi). If you’ve got wheels (because it’s away from the city center), if you’re looking for a well-presented delectable dish (because the purist chef demands it and only uses the best ingredients) served by smartly dressed wait-staff, if you want to escape the tourists and challenge your German (because there’s no English menu), come to unassuming and award-winning Gasthof Auerhahn, along the train tracks. Spacious seating indoors beneath a wood-beamed ceiling or outdoors under the chestnut trees. Expect to spend 25-40€/person (for a meal with a beverage and dessert) unless you request one of the contemporary paintings hung on the wall, about 1,000€. Artwork aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin-cream soup (Kürbiscremesuppe) with tender pieces of duck breast (5.60€) followed by veal (Kalb) cordon bleu with a salad and specially prepared potatoes (15.50€). But the menu changes regularly and what I ordered may not be available when you arrive. To complement, a pleasing selection of Austrian wines matures in the cellar. The Pongratz family who have run Gasthof Auerhahn for three generations, also cater to overnight guests. GPS: N47 49.231 E13 02.911. To get there, Gasthof Auerhahn is located at Bahnhofstrasse 15, about 1 km north of the main train station, or Hauptbahnhof. Drivers, parking can be tough to find during peak hours but nonetheless free at the back of the property or on the street (Feldstrasse) running adjacent. By bus from the city, hop on #3 direction Itzling-Pflanzmann and get off at Werkstättenstrasse, 10-min ride (bus departs Mozartsteg, Theatergasse, Mirabellplatz, Hauptbahnhof every 10 min, and every 20 min after 19:00 Mon-Sat and all day Sun). From Werkstättenstrasse, it’s a 5-min walk. Exit bus left then go right on Werkstättenstrasse. March all the way to the end of the street then go left to Gasthof Auerhahn ahead on the corner.
Nagano (is centrally located, dishing up healthy meals from 10€, daily 11:30-15:00 & 17:00-23:00, June-Aug 11:00-23:00, tel. 0662/849-488). Are you looking to escape pork and potatoes? Are you a sucker for Japanese food like me? I recommend Nagano. For those of you familiar with Japanese food, you know the drill. For first-timers, order a small sushi (11€) to share with your partner and a main course for yourself, e.g. teriyaki chicken (10€). Try any of their beers: Sapporo, Kirin, Asahi—each is amazingly flavorsome. Additionally, order a small sake to share; it tastes like warm water but it’s part of the experience. To get there, when facing Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse, go right some 50 meters to No. 24 (right). Proceed through the archway and Nagano is beyond the second passage (right). Or, from Griesgasse (i.e. bus transportation hub at Hanuschplatz), enter the passage via the archway at No. 19a.
Spicy Spices, (vegetarian and organic foods, daily special 6.50€, Mon-Fri 10:30-21:30, Sat/Sun 12:00-21:30, Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse 1, top of Linzergasse, tel. 0662/870-712, GPS: N47 48.260 E13 02.906). The piquant aroma of herbs and spices tastefully fill the air in this petite Indian bistro run by smilin’ Suresh, an excellent(!) choice for vegetarians or anyone looking for a healthy, steam-cooked meal. Suresh takes pride in the government-issued certificate hanging on the wall guaranteeing that only the best-quality organic (locally "Bio") foods are used. Heck, you'll even find organic beer and juices on the menu to wash down all the Bio scrumptiousness, like naan chapati bread, panir cheese and lentil dal, tofu specialties, soya with peas, and most popular the 6.50€ daily special: typically a large Basmati or natural rice dish with vegetables in mild-curry sauce (add a fresh salad or soup for 1.50€).
Shrimps Bar and Restaurant (9-15€ main dish, Tue-Sat 17:30-24:00, Steingasse 5 behind Hotel Stein, tel. 0662/874-484, www.shrimps.at) has been serving Mediterranean-style salads, pastas and seafood specialties for 30 years to the penchant of its fashionable cigarette-smoking, wine-sipping customer base. On most evenings all of Shrimps 36 seats are booked, thus a reservation is recommended. After dinner, pop into the next-door Pepe Cocktail Bar for a nightcap.
Zur Plainlinde, (3-course meal roughly 40€, Wed thru Sun 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-21:00, closed Mon-Tue as well as half of Feb, June and Sept, reservation recommended, tel. 0662/458-557, www.plainlinde.at). This pricey but deserving multi-award-winning restaurant prides itself on sophisticated yet creative gastronomy. Here, delectable foods complement the equally delectable views from its pastoral perch high above Salzburg. To get there; because Zur Plainlinde is off the beaten path, Drivers will have a much easier time reaching this regional favorite, located below the twin-steepled Maria Plain church, 4.5 km north of the Old Town at Plainbergweg 30, in the suburb of Bergheim. GPS: N47 50.104 E13 02.437. Drivers, exit the A1 autobahn at Salzburg “Nord” and head towards Braunau—at the first traffic light turn left. Follow the narrow road (some 2 km) as it meanders past green meadows and through a pleasant forest. At the end is Zur Plainlinde on the left. By bus from the city, hop on #6 direction Itzling-West and get off at Plainbrücke, 10-min ride (bus departs Mozartsteg, Rathaus, Mirabellplatz, Hauptbahnhof every 10 min, and every 20 min after 18:00 Mon-Sat and all day Sun. Check bus return times to coordinate your pick-up). From Plainbrücke, it’s a 20-min walk. Exit bus, walk back to the main road and turn right. Make the first right on Plainbergweg and climb this street to the restaurant at the top.
Ikarus: Here 5-star cuisine is served in the company of billionaire *Dietrich Mateschitz’s vintage collection of aircraft at Salzburg airport (for more on Ikarus, see Hangar-7). *Founder of the energy drink, Red Bull.
Stein Terrasse: This penthouse café is a must-visit, if only to snap a picture.
Café Fürst: Home to the original Mozart ball, locally Mozartkugel, Café Fürst outshines the bunch. Stop in for homemade chocolates, pastries, cakes and classic Austrian coffeehouse tradition. Café Fürst’s flagship operation is located in the Old Town on Old Market Square (Alter Markt, meters from Residenzplatz, Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, Sun 9:00-20:00, summer till 21:00, tel. 0662/843-7590, all major CCs accepted, www.original-mozartkugel.com). Fürst has a second location across the river at Mirabellplatz 5 (Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat 8:00-18:00, Sun 9:00-18:00), opposite Mirabell Gardens. For more on the original Mozart ball, click here.
Café Tomaselli, (Mon-Sat 7:00-21:00, Sun 8:00-21:00, mid-July thru Aug till 24:00, tel. 0662/844-4880, cash only). Austria’s oldest coffeehouse dating from 1703, Café Tomaselli set up shop not long after retreating Turkish soldiers hastily left sacks of coffee beans on the battlefield outside Vienna. During the centuries Salzburg’s social elite convened at Tomaselli’s, exemplified by its distinguished list of patrons that included celebrities, politicians, artists, and one very famous composer: Amadeus. (Heck, even Mozart’s widow Constanze lived above the café from 1820-26.) Inside, pastry waitresses sporting kitchen-maid uniforms and tuxedo-clad waiters serve customers who sit contentedly on wooden chairs positioned around marble-topped tables, sipping coffee, eating cake, chatting, *smoking, reading, people watching—the setting here is comparable to a 19th-century oil painting. Step into Tomaselli’s storied ambiance and be a part of the scene. (*Note: Non-smoking areas include the room adjoining the main café area as well as upstairs.) Keeping to tradition, Wi-Fi is trumped here by the old-and-reliable newspaper rack in the corner respectfully squeaking with every twirl commanded by customers seeking the latest domestic and international publications. The adjacent staircase climbs to the best seats in the house on the terrace; you’re in luck if a table is available (you can also reach the terrace via the outdoor staircase right of the café spiraling up from the plaza). Plop down and relish life. Order your beverage from the waiter then select a delectable dessert from the Kuchenmädchen (pastry waitress) making the rounds with the homemade sweets finely presented on a sterling-silver tray. To get there, Café Tomaselli is located on Old Market Square (Alter Markt) across from the above-listed Café Fürst.
Café Demel, (daily 9:00-19:00, tel. 0662/840-358, www.demel.at, all major CCs accepted, café is upstairs, free Wi-Fi with purchase). Parked on Mozartplatz facing the statued likeness of the composer extraordinaire, Demel is one of Salzburg’s top coffee-and-cake retreats. Self-assured chocolatiers, the Demel brothers began their sweets shop in the imperial Austrian capital of Vienna in the 1870s. Emperor Franz Josef delighted in Demel’s fine chocolates and bonbons and torte so much that he arranged for regular deliveries to the House of Habsburg, hence Demel’s royal title: K. u. K. Hofzuckerbäcker (Imperial and Royal Court Confectioner). Just as it was in the 19th century, Demel prepares all its own confectionery fresh at its two-story café across from the Hofburg palace in Vienna, where today these fine goodies are carefully placed onto a vehicle for delivery to Salzburg, as well as loaded onto an airplane for Demel’s Viennese-style café in New York City.
Café Classic, (daily 8:00-19:30, Makartplatz 8, tel. 0662/882-700, www.cafeclassic.at, CC: VC, MC). Directly next door to Mozart’s Wohnhaus, consider a break at this “classic” coffeehouse not only for its specialty beverages and pastries and refreshing atmosphere but also for its daily food specials that make this café a sensible stop for lunch or any-time snack.
Curry Sausages at the Bosna Grill, (Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 11:00-17:00, and July-Dec also Sun 16:00-20:00, but don’t wait until the last minute because they often sell out and close early!). Arguably Salzburg’s best sausage has Bulgarian origins and can be found at the Bosna Grill, a literal whole in the wall since 1950. You typically won’t find tourists here, only locals waiting in line to take away a spicy and fatty taste of bliss prepared with special seasonings secreted in a time-honored recipe. *Frau Ebner working behind the window (with little more than elbow room to move) proudly serves up the so-called Bosna: two sausages jammed in a hot-dog-like bun dripping with condiments. You have five choices, 2.90€ each: 1) with onions and curry spice • 2) with onions, curry spice and mustard • 3) with mustard and curry spice • 4) with onions, ketchup and curry spice • 5) with ketchup and curry spice. To get there, when facing Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse, go right to No. 33 (left). Proceed through the archway into the cobbled passage to the whole in the wall some 10 meters ahead on the right. *Note: Frau Ebner semi-retired in 2010, thus there’s a good chance you’ll be served by her equally amicable successor.
Café-Restaurant Stadtalm, (open May thru mid-Sept, closed remainder of year, tel. 0662/841-729, www.diestadtalm.com). Here you can eat high above the Old Town in a medieval watchtower or outside on one of the umbrellaed picnic tables positioned along the cliff’s edge where sweeping views of Salzburg come with the service. Situated upon the Mönchsberg (Monks’ Ridge), Stadtalm is part of the city’s historic defense wall built by the citizen guard in 1487. Hike the forested Mönchsberg and make the reasonably priced Stadtalm part of your adventure, if only for a beer (roughly 3.20€/0.5l). Budget-minded travelers with few bags may be interested in Stadtalm’s bunk-bed lodgings upstairs (from 19€/bed), affording first-class views but with hallway toilets and showers. GPS: N47 47.977 E13 02.357. To get there, look above the northwest part of the Old Town for a wood-covered duct leading up the cliff face—the battlement at the top is the Stadtalm. Ride the Lift up Mönchsberg then read Mönchsberg Lift & Hiking Trails.
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(This page was last updated March 2011.)
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